A fun and productive pastime and hobby!
The opportunities for gardening aren’t only available for people who live in the countryside; many people residing in large urban areas can also benefit hugely from the important asset of having the skill to garden. In general, gardening is available in the methods of planting in the backyard or the house, truly opening up possibilities to everybody.
Image by eko pramono from Pixabay
A personal connection
When I was extremely young (still in my early elementary school years), I was always fascinated by my grandpa’s gardening activities. Growing up in China, I often visited my grandparents, delighted when I would find crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, and beans grown in the “sun-room” area of their apartment. Even though there wasn’t too much space in my grandparents’ living quarters, they had no difficulty fitting the various pots containing different types of crops in them and greatly enjoyed watering and fertilizing their plants as a way to reduce stress and pay dedication. My grandparents gardening greatly boosted my interest in this hobby and is the reason why I am thinking about starting it myself now.
The purpose of gardening
The are so many benefits to gardening. For example, you can enjoy naturally-grown food that is fresher to eat. They also tend to be better-tasting than most products that were stored long-term in stores. Tomatoes are juicier, carrots sweeter, and peppers more brightly colored. Most importantly, you would know if the crop had been polluted or not, making it extremely safe to consume. Most importantly, it is awesome to enjoy all the delicious products you grew after months of dedication and hard work from your family! This would certainly be something nice to share with friends as well.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
The steps
Starting to garden can be a difficult task for many people. Many tend to think that the process is overly difficult and quit before taking action toward it. In reality, this is not entirely true. As I am sharing the steps that I gathered from various instructional sources to gardening, please keep in mind that I am learning all of these at the same time as you are! Just like many of you, I am also a “rookie” at gardening, and I am personally planning to start next season.
- Set out an undisturbed space to plant your crops. Whether it will be indoors or outdoors, you have to make sure that doing gardening will not overly disturb your day-to-day life of moving through your living spaces. The plants also need much space to themselves so that they can grow healthily.
- In Calgary, the city where I’m currently residing, many live in houses with backyards. If you choose to grow produce in the backyard, make sure to find a place with abundant sunlight and soil, that is protected from torrential rainfall or strong winds.
- If you choose to grow produce indoors, make sure to set up an indoor planting bed that you can store dirt in. You can find some inspiration by clicking on this link (DIY-made indoor gardening beds), but basically choose an area with enough sunlight (preferably near windows. The soil bed can be constructed by purchasing wood blocks and assembling equipment, generally found in warehouse stores.
- For growing plants outdoors, one does not necessarily need a raised bed; just clearing the grass in the area is enough. However, make sure that the plot of cleared land isn’t too large (try to keep it under nine square meters, optimally). Upon learning from a friend of mine, I have decided to personally make the shape of the plot to be very long, but thin. This would allow easy access to all of the crops I will be planting.
- Crops like lettuce, zucchini, peas, kale, and tomatoes are all extremely easy to grow and tend to be relatively hardy. However, to plant each type, make sure that the purchased seeds are quality. Also, each type of plant thrives in different conditions regarding temperature and watering. For example, peas prefer colder weather, while tomatoes prefer warmer weather. Especially in Calgary, with snowfall usually lasting from October to April, it is highly important to check with the gardening schedule to plan for potentially moving some crops indoors.
Protecting the environment
Protecting nature is always important; when growing crops outside, remember to follow these guidelines (Environmental protection measures). If you reside outside of Canada, be sure to check with your local government’s regulations. Fertilizer runoff, the spread of pollen from certain crops, and other issues are very common in the community, destroying the natural ecosystem and habitat. As we are using the land to grow crops, we should also respect it and appreciate the wonders of Mother Nature!
Thank you for reading my blog post, and I hope that each and every one of you will succeed in your gardening journey!